“She’s
such a happy and care-free person”. “He looks like a dropout”. “She has a big
fat attitude”. “He seems rich”.
We
humans have a habit of assuming things. It’s so much sponged into us that we do
it even unknowingly. The habit of judging others by their looks, behavior or
personality, just by glancing at them, is very reprehensible. The funny thing
is that we do this all the time but when someone else judges us by some
miniscule things, then it sets our teeth on edge.
A
person deserves so much more than this. There can be a number of things hidden
in them that we might not know if we don’t just assume. Nature, intelligence,
maturity, insight and other vital aspects, which are actually necessary to
understand a person, will only be mysteries. We may just miss out on someone
because we judged them too fast.
For
example, there’s a girl; who is usually alone, either reading, thinking or
listening to music. If she prefers the company of books and music to people,
then it doesn't make her anti-social. It just defines her introverted nature.
If people misunderstand it as being rude, then she would surely feel bad but
she won’t do anything about it because that’s how she is. The point is people
should talk to each other instead of being critical. If someone just asks her,
then she can tell them that she likes to be that way, that is, quiet and alone.
Only then they can know that she is not anti-social or rude. Being judgmental
or assumptive is never the answer.
Our own
good or bad perspective judgments are alright as long as we don’t start
thinking them out loud along with the crowd. Our negative judgments can also
be out of some of our own insecurities which might regress us into getting a
bad angle of others. Before forming a rigid opinion about someone, we should
keep in mind that we don’t know their life story or what they are going
through. We cannot just think about them on what we have seen, that is, the
outer appearance. That is exactly like deciding to purchase a house without
looking inside of it. A person with a whirlwind inside can fake a smile and
joke around. A person with extreme happiness may not show it because it is his
own little joy.
We can
always assume the body language but we can never get to know anyone without
having an interaction. So, why waste that much time and energy thinking over
what might not even be true? I would like to conclude with one of my favorite
quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt:
‘Great minds discuss ideas.
Average minds discuss events.
Small minds discuss people.’